Currently, processing survey data in C3D is a pain, especially when having to edit codes to get figures to be created correctly. Here are a few ways to greatly enhance the workflow and save time when working with a survey database.
1. When a point is edited and the dialog for Process the linework comes up there is no indication that it will process all import events. It would be great to be able to have the option to process the linework for just the import event the point was created from or the entire database (the current setting).
2. If an auto-generated figure is created and then manually edited, a re-process of the linework will create a second figure on top of the previously created one. There needs to be either an option to delete the originally created, but edited, figure or apply the changes to the newly created figure. For example, our surveyors sometimes use the offset codes for a curb to generate the EOT and BOC if the shot is in the flow-line. This creates an auto-generated figure for the EOT, but is still on the curb layer and uses the same figure style for the curb. If the auto-generated figure is edited, such as changing the layer and style then it works fine until the linework is processed again. This leaves the edited figure in the database and drawing, but also creates a second auto-generated figure on top of the previous one.
This could possibly be fixed by just not processing points that weren't edited. Why process all points (or just an import event) if a single point was changed? I know the auto-generated flag is turned off once a figure is edited, but why not have a second flag that says auto-generated, but edited? That way the settings for the edited figure can be applied to the auto-generated one as soon as it's processed.
3. Fix the slow speed of scrolling through points in the Toolspace>Survey>Survey Points dialog. There are usually hundreds, if not thousands, of points and just scrolling to edit a point is a huge waste of time.
4. Fix the survey query dialog box side-bar when it's not docked. There's a huge gap between the bar and the actual dialog box. This has been going on since the introduction of the survey query feature and still hasn't been fixed.
5. Allow the use of a survey query to create a Survey Point Group or at least mimic the drawing specific point group creation dialog. The only way to create a Survey Point Group is to manually scroll through every point and select a check box for each point. Due to this idiotic behavior the Survey Point Group feature is useless.
6. There needs to be some way to inform the user that when trying to delete a point that's in a network from the Database>Survey Points list that it cannot be deleted from that list. If a point is in a network and you try to delete it from the master point list it just doesn't happen. There's no dialog, warning, or anything informing the user of why it didn't delete. Even Autodesk support had trouble figuring out why some points couldn't be deleted while others could.
7. Figure groups are useless without a way to use a query or wildcards. Similar to the Survey Point Group problem, the only way to create one is to just scroll through checking every single figure to add to the figure group. Either integrate the survey query function into this or create a new way to add figures to a figure group.
8. Figure out a way to stop figures and points from losing their link from the drawing to the database. There have been many times, including twice just today, where processing linework ends up adding figures on top of existing ones. You have to right-click Figures, select Remove from drawing, then in the drawing use QSELECT to select all Survey Figures, delete them, then right-click Figures and select Insert into drawing. When points lose their link, the same method has to be used to get them back into the drawing, but any label rotations or point rotations have to be done over. This is a huge time waster.
9. When a figure is created from an object, give the options to delete the original object. It's annoying and a waste of time having to use the selection cycling to select the original object to delete it.
10. When using the OffsetFeature command (which is labeled as Stepped Offset, another annoying issue) on a survey figure it creates a feature line. Either give the option to create a survey figure or a feature line or just create the same type of object. In order to add a figure to the database from a stepped offset, you have to create a figure from the offset object then delete the orignal object again. This is very unnecessary and slows down productivity.
11. Make the figure and point properties windows modeless. Not being able to pan/zoom around while looking at the properties of a figure or a point really slows down productivity. Either add those properties to the regular AutoCAD properties panel or convert the existing dialogs to be modeless.
Autodesk needs to actually work on the surveying side of C3D. Nothing has really been done in 10 years with it except for adding Survey Queries.
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